Clay Carroll
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Clay Palmer Carroll (born May 2, 1941) is an American former professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player. He played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
as a right-handed
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
from through , most notably as a member of the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
dynasty that won three division titles, one National League pennant and the
1975 World Series The 1975 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1975 season. The 72nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the Nati ...
title. He also played for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves,
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
,
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
and the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
. A two-time
All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
, Carroll was one of the top
relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...
s in Major League Baseball during the mid-1970s when the Cincinnati Reds became known as the Big Red Machine for their dominance of the National League. In 1972, Carroll led the National League in saves and was named The Sporting News Fireman of the Year. He ranks third all-time among Red pitchers in game appearances. Carroll was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1980.


Early life

Carroll was one of nine children of a
cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven ...
worker who died in 1966. Growing up in
Clanton, Alabama Clanton is a city in Chilton County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the population was . The city is the county seat of Chilton County. Clanton is near t ...
, Carroll went to Chilton County High School and also worked many jobs, including as a curb-service boy at a restaurant, at the cotton mill where his father worked, and loading watermelons onto trucks.


Professional career

Carroll was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1961, and made his major league debut at age 23 on September 2, 1964, hurling two shutout innings against the Cardinals. Carroll was acquired along with Tony Cloninger and Woody Woodward by the Reds from the Atlanta Braves for Milt Pappas, Bob Johnson and Ted Davidson on June 11, 1968. Nicknamed "Hawk" due to his profile likeness of the bird, he was selected to the National League All-Star team in and . He led the National League in saves in 1972 with 37, and finished tied for fifth in the
Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball ( ...
voting. The 37 saves stood as a National League record until Bruce Sutter broke it in 1984 with 45 saves for the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
. He was selected as the Sporting News Reliever of the Year in 1972 for the National League. Carroll's best seasons were with the Reds from 1968 to 1975, which earned him a place in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. Carroll pitched in three
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
for the Reds, including the
1975 World Series The 1975 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1975 season. The 72nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the Nati ...
which the Reds won in seven games over the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
. Carroll starred in the 1970 World Series. He appeared in five of the six games, hurling nine shutout innings with 11 strikeouts. Carroll, along with rookie Don Gullett, paced an injury-riddled staff that was otherwise ineffective against Baltimore. Carroll was the winning pitcher in the Reds' only victory against the Orioles. Overall in the postseason, Carroll boasted a 4-2 record with two saves, a blown save, and a 1.39
ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...
in 22 appearances, allowing just five
earned runs In baseball, an earned run is any Run (baseball), run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the ...
in innings. He was traded by the Reds to the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
for Rich Hinton and minor league catcher Jeff Sovern on December 12, 1975. After going 4–4 with six saves and a 2.56 ERA in 29 appearances with the White Sox, he was dealt to the Cardinals for Lerrin LaGrow during
spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
on March 23, 1977.


Personal life

Carroll and his ex-wife Judy are the parents of two daughters, Connie and Lori, along with a son, Brett (sometimes reported as Bret). The Carrolls divorced in 1981. In 1983 Carroll married Frances Nowitzke, a widow with children of her own. During a November 1985 shooting in their home in
Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...
, Carroll was wounded, and his wife Frances, 53, and Carroll's son Bret(t), 11, were shot and killed, by Frances's 26 year old son, Frederick. Carroll's stepson was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Florida’s electric chair. Several years later a new trial was ordered, at which Frederick was given a life sentence he continues to serve. Carroll frequently returns to
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
for the team's annual RedsFest event, including in December 2012. He is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.


See also

* ''TSN'' Reliever of the Year * Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame *
List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders The following is a list of annual leaders in saves in Major League Baseball (MLB), with separate lists for the American League and the National League. The list includes several professional leagues and associations that were never part of MLB. ...


References


External links


Baseball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Clay 1941 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American shooting survivors Atlanta Braves players Atlanta Crackers players Austin Senators players Baseball players from Alabama Boise Braves players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Columbus Clippers players Davenport Braves players Denver Bears players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Braves players 20th-century American sportsmen National League All-Stars National League (baseball) saves champions People from Clanton, Alabama Pittsburgh Pirates players Richmond Braves players St. Louis Cardinals players Vancouver Canadians players